This Bit of Spider-Man Trivia Really Adds a Lot of Irony to Spidey’s Role in ‘Civil War’

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Captain America: Civil War.Of all the characters in Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man was arguably the one who shined the most. Finally making his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spidey swung in with a bang, making the movie even more enjoyable.Whether he was quipping in a fight, swinging after Falcon and Bucky, or finding a way to take down Giant Man, Spider-Man’s actions were always fun and enjoyable. Any doubts we may have had about Tom Holland’s Spider-Man were immediately washed away, making us more and more excited for Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Civil War also gave us a bit of insight into Spider-Man’s origin in the MCU. From what Peter Parker told Tony Stark, we know that Peter was bitten by what we can assume to be a radioactive spider roughly 6 months before the events of Captain America: Civil War. He eventually became Spider-Man and worked to help people using his newfound powers, claiming it was his responsibility to help the world now that he has these gifts.What really kicks him into the rest of the MCU, however, is that little push by Tony Stark. And when I say little push, we all know I really mean blackmail. When he needed it most, lovable Tony Stark resorted to blackmailing a 15 year old kid. He told Peter that if he did not help him in Germany that he would inform Aunt May that Peter was secretly Spider-Man. Peter did everything he could to keep that information away from his Aunt’s ears, so he followed Tony to Germany. But, when you look into the comics, there is a bit of irony surrounding this.Civil War in the comics

During the ‘Civil War’ story arc in the comics, Spider-Man started by siding with Iron Man and the Superhuman Registration Act. To do this, he needed to publicly release his identity, announcing Spider-Man to be Peter Parker. Peter revealed his secret identity on live television in a monstrously famous comic panel, showing J. Jonah Jameson passing out when he learns that his “nemesis” is also his photographer.

Before revealing his identity to the public, however, Peter saw it best to reveal his secret to Aunt May personally before making it public. Peter sat May down and, instead of saying that he was Spider-Man, pulled out his Spider-Man mask. Aunt May’s reaction, though, was not what Peter expected.Instead of showing shock or awe, Aunt May simply showed confusion. As it turns out, Aunt May had known Peter was Spider-Man the entire time, and was confused as to why he chose that time to “reveal” it to her. Peter felt relief in this moment, but it also reveals to us one major fact…Aunt May canonically knew that Peter was Spider-Man his entire career

If this major part of Aunt May’s character is also accurate in the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of May (which it likely is), then it really adds a hell of a lot of irony to Spider-Man’s role in Civil War when you think about it.The entire reason Peter fought with Iron Man in Germany and took himself to the next level was so that Aunt May would not discover the truth about him. But if Aunt May knew that he was Peter the entire time, was there really a point to all of it?

Either way, I am thankful that Spider-Man flew out to Germany and fought in the Civil War, as it will likely have an effect on his character in Spider-Man: Homecoming, especially if he keeps the costume. Spider-Man is one of my all time favorite comic-book characters and I loved seeing him in Civil War.This little bit of Spider-Man trivia doesn’t really hinder the story of Civil War, it just makes it a bit more ironic. Spider-Man’s one motivation during the movie was to keep Aunt May from knowing something that she already knew. That’s actually rather funny, and I hope that they acknowledge it at some point in future movies.What do you think, though? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for reading!